The Dalai Lama Abdicates

The Dalai Lama abdicating his government role and abdicating future
Dalai Lamas from the role of leader of Tibetans should be received as big news and a big step towards the Tibetan culture in exile entering the 21st century.

This is a must read..........

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=29310&article=The+Untouchables+of+Dharamsala

--- Jeff

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama has done the opposite: he’s decided to
abdicate his political powers to an elected leadership, committing the
400-year old institution of the Dalai Lama to history. At a time when
street revolutions are afoot and despots are fighting to retain their
last bastions, the Dalai Lama and his people are engaged in a polite
pingpong exchange. He wants his people to choose their own leadership
while they — unable to rise above their emotions — are pleading with
him to continue."

"As a child, my first image of the Dalai Lama was on a postage stamp.
He was holding a child, so we were envious and our parents said we
were the unfortunate ones. For Tibetans, he is the reincarnation of
Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva who vowed to be with us until we all
achieve nirvana. So when he’s making fundamental changes — terminating
the Ganden Phodrang government that’s existed since 1642 — it’s a
deeply emotional moment and the change is unlikely to be easy." (www.phayul.com)